


Week 2: Gardenia / Secret Love

by DramioneLDWS



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:07:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 10,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24234055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramioneLDWS/pseuds/DramioneLDWS
Summary: Each chapter is an individual drabble written by a single participant.Please mind the tags/triggers at the top of each entry.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 75
Kudos: 76
Collections: Dramione Last Drabble Writer Standing - Round 1





	1. Secrets Come in Sixes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Secrets Come in Sixes  
> Rating: G  
> Word Count: 498  
> No Warnings Apply
> 
> AUTHOR: [KoraKunkel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoraKunkel/pseuds/KoraKunkel)

Hermione received the first note pressed between the pages of her Advanced Potions textbook. 

_Secret One: I think about you more than I should._

She didn’t recognize the scribblings, nor had any inclination of who it could possibly be. Cormac would never stoop so low as to send her a secret note, and Ron was too busy with Lavender to even think of her. A multitude of wizards raced through her mind, but her guess was as good as any. 

The second note was placed neatly atop her breakfast plate three days later. Luckily, the Hall was mostly empty, save for a handful of students and the ever-glaring eye of Malfoy at the Slytherin table. 

_Secret Two: I’ve always loved your smile, even before you fixed it and thought no one would notice._

A blush stained her cheeks and she quickly crumbled the note in her hand as Harry and Ron sat beside her. Their conversation picked up to the day's activities and she let herself forget all about it. 

_Secret Three: I hold my breath every time you pass me because your scent is intoxicating._

Hermione glared at the offending scrap of parchment that somehow found its way into her copy of _Hogwarts: A History._

She desperately wished to tell her friends of the notes she’d been receiving the past two weeks. But honestly, Ron wouldn’t care, and Harry had enough to deal with. Hermione thought briefly of confiding in Ginny but knew the redhead would launch a school-wide investigation. She certainly did _not_ need the entire populace of Hogwarts to know she had a secret admirer. Malfoy would have an absolute field-day of taunts and jabs. 

There wasn’t another note for nearly a month. Hermione happily thought the person had given up until she received the fourth in the middle of the night. She was lying in bed, and the parchment materialized right above her, fluttering down to rest on her face. 

_Secret Four: The Amortentia potion smelled like your gardenia perfume._

So, whoever was sending these was in her Advanced Potions class? That narrowed it down to only a handful of wizards. A shocking thought crossed her mind of it being Malfoy before she snorted—as if. 

_Secret Five: Even though you’re not mine, I’m scared of losing you._

Hermione’s heart raced at the letter, her eyes as wide as saucers. She had spent all of Slughorn's class covertly inspecting everyone’s handwriting, and upon discovery of whose matched it, nearly had a panic attack. The familiar scribbles of this last note confirmed her suspicions from where she sat in the library. 

A small tap on her shoulder had her jolting in her chair and she turned to find Malfoy standing above her. A feline grin graced his lips and he offered her a final scrap of parchment. 

Hermione took it with shaking hands and a reddened face. 

_Secret Six: If you haven’t already guessed, though I’m sure you have you brilliant witch, I’m your secret admirer._


	2. Promotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Promotion  
> Rating: T  
> Word Count: 494  
> Warnings/Tags: N/A
> 
> AUTHOR: [Weestarmeggie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weestarmeggie/pseuds/Weestarmeggie)

Harry is sitting in her visitor’s chair when she returns from the break room, from filling a vase with water to keep her flower delivery as fresh as possible. 

His partner is leaning against her desk, examining his nails and looking bored.

“I knew you would get it!” Harry cheers, when he spots her and standing, he lifts her off her feet and into a fierce hug. 

Her eyes meet Draco Malfoys’s over Harry’s shoulder.

“Yes —” Hermione’s tongue flicks out over her lips as she stares at the blond; He’s smirking at her as he sneers “— Congratulations Granger.”

Harry rolls his eyes and drops back into Hermione’s visitor chair. “Now, now children,” he waves a finger between them, “this is a happy day. No fighting.”

“Don’t worry Harry,” Hermione says, lifting her chin as she glares at Malfoy, nudging him over with her hip so she can place the vase on her desk, “we’ll behave.”

“Absolutely,” Malfoy agrees. Hermione watches the corner of his lip quirk up and reminds herself that Harry is sitting right there. Watching them. “Granger here knows I was just teasing.” She can feel his eyes skating over her; the heat of his thigh pressing against hers has her shifting uncomfortably. The last time he was in her office — 

Harry clears his throat and Hermione startles. Malfoy is fingering the petals of her bouquet and Hermione resists the urge to kick him for the display. 

“Nice flowers,” Harry says, jerking his head at them. Hermione tenses, and her fingers clench in the wood. Malfoy’s hip nudges her and she nods, a thin smile twisting at her lips as she pushes off the desk and moves towards the door. 

“Thanks.” She slips her coat on and turns to look at her friend and … Malfoy. “Should we go?”

* * *

“Thank you for my flowers,” She murmurs later that night. Her fingers trace Draco’s hand and she resists the urge to press tiny kisses to them, instead lacing them together.

“I wanted to congratulate you.” He huffs a laugh from behind her; his breath is hot and tickles her neck. “I’m so proud of you.”

She turns in his arms and peers up at him. “Yeah?”

“Of course.”

Her fingers tap at his chest, above his heart. “And you sent Gardenia’s because… ” She trails off pointedly.

He smirks down at her, eyes dark as they flick across her face. She tilts her head up and his lips brush over hers. “You know why.”

She hums an affirmative and lets his lips trail down the side of her neck; his teeth nip at her skin and his hands, one loose around her neck and the other tight against her hip, hold her in place. “It wouldn't be good if everyone found out you were sleeping with your boss.”

“In love with,” he murmurs, looking up at her. “In love with my boss.”

She grins down at him. “I love you too.”


	3. Used to be Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Used to be Mine  
> Rating: T  
> Word Count: 499  
> Warnings/Tags: No Warnings
> 
> AUTHOR: [kurisutenchan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurisutenchan/pseuds/kurisutenchan)

Hermione spent her Sunday as usual—on a bench in Hampstead Heath with a small leatherbound journal in her hands, fingers skimming the worn pages. She didn’t know how many times she’d read through it, had no clue where it came from, but she knew it was hers; the slanted cursive was undoubtedly her script. 

The pages were filled with lost memories, names she no longer recognized.

There was a sharp ache in her temple as she tried again—tried for what felt like the millionth time—to recall her formative years. All that was left was the framework: her parents passed when she was eleven, she attended a boarding school in Scotland, she’d been in an accident a few years back, but in front of her was nine years of dated entries that contradicted nearly every “fact” she had. Most consistently she found herself drawn to the mentions of a boy littered throughout.

_I met the meanest boy on the train…_

_He called me mudblood..._

She unconsciously placed a hand over the word carved into her forearm like a brand. Even if she didn’t remember the pain—the context—it stung.

_I can’t believe I punched Draco Malfoy in his smug face..._

_I saw him today. He looks skeletal, his eyes are lifeless. I know that monster is living in his home, I wish I could help him.._.

_Draco Malfoy arrived at the safe house today, I nearly killed him before Harry stopped me..._

_I hate Draco. I hate him. He’s a git and a half and I don’t trust him as far as I could throw the man..._

_He kissed me today. I feel like a foolish little girl, mooning over a boy. One minute we were arguing (I was right) and then before I knew what was happening I was pinned against the wall and he was kissing me. I moaned. I moaned! It just felt so right, compared to my brief kisses with Ronald or the polite kiss from Victor. I feel guilty delighting in carnal pleasures when we’ll be going to battle again in a matter of days..._

She felt like a stranger reading someone’s intimate secrets even though she knew the words were her own. Scrawled hastily a few pages later was the last entry.

_They’re going to take my memory from me, I could hear them talking while they thought I was asleep. I don’t want to leave. They need me more than ever now that Harry is gone. I know Draco thinks he’s doing the right thing to protect me, but he won’t listen. None of them will listen._

_I have to hide this tonight..._

Hermione snapped the journal shut and moved to stand, tossing the worn journal into her bag before twisting towards the direction of the car park. Not paying attention, she walked directly into a tall column of a man and stumbled backwards, casting an irritated scowl up at him. 

Piercing grey eyes met hers, and she thought somehow they were vaguely... familiar.


	4. Passive Aggressive Symbolism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Passive Aggressive Symbolism  
> Rating: T  
> Word Count: 494  
> Warnings/Tags: None
> 
> AUTHOR: [Tygermine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tygermine/pseuds/Tygermine)

Hermione Granger had a pot plant in her office.

Most days she forgot it was there and if it wasn’t for the efforts of Maddie, her assistant, the pot plant would have joined the ranks of all the previous pot plants Hermione had brought in to liven up her office and had left to die by accident. 

Maddie would carefully water the fragrant plant, murmur encouragements to the newly formed buds until they bloomed and ensure that the pot plant was always under a beam of sunshine. That had taken a particularly deft bit of spell work as Hermione’s office was below ground level and judging by the damp rising int he corner, below the water table as well.

Besides feeling like a mole most days at work, Maddie also had another problem to contend with.

Draco Malfoy had just started working in an office down the corridor from Hermione and it was rare that a day did not go by without Mr Malfoy and Ms Granger exchanging heated words that echoed against the tiled walls.

The real head-scratcher though, was that about a month after Mr Malfoy had taken up residence in his office down the corridor, every morning on his way to the office, he would stop at Ms Granger’s office, greet her, exchange a few insults and leave with one of the bloomed buds from the pot plant in his jacket lapel.

Maddie was intrigued and would often time her tea break so that she was back at her desk with a steaming cuppa to enjoy as she watched the daily show the two junior law partners put on between 8:55 and 9:00am every morning.

“I don’t understand it, but I do enjoy watching it,” Maddie said to her girlfriend one night over dinner. 

“They’re flirting,” said Sara. “It’s plain as day.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like flirting to me, or do straight people flirt differently?”

“I think when there’s a cock involved it makes the flirting a little more aggressive? Besides, he’s totally into her.”

“You don’t know that for certain.”

“He wears a flower in his lapel every day, that he gets from the pot plant in her office.”

“He does that to annoy her.”

“Maddie, it’s a Gardenia. As a witch, surely you should know what that means.”

“I’m a legal secretary, not a bloody horticulturalist, witch or not.”

Sara sighed and pulled Maddie into her arms. “Gardenias symbolize a secret love. I bet you dinner at The King and Keg that he’s got a crush on her and she’s starting to notice.”

Two weeks later, Maddie came home with a smile on her face.

“I’m taking you to dinner down the pub. You win. I heard them arguing in her office and then it was oddly quiet until the picture frame against the wall above my desk started bouncing rather rhythmically. No guess as to what that means.”

“Oh good, I was craving a pint.”


	5. Surprise My Dear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Surprise My Dear  
> Rating: T  
> Word Count: 492  
> Warnings: None
> 
> AUTHOR: [StoneAndRoses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoneAndRoses/pseuds/StoneAndRoses)

Hermione always woke before Draco. She didn’t mind, he was more peaceful sleeping than at any other time. But her old, early morning study habits had yet to die. She slid out of the bed, looking out the window at the waves. The Malfoy property in Aruba was her favorite. Well, her favorite relaxing location. The flat in Nice was her favorite for activities. But there was also the townhouse in Florence…

Over the last six months she had become intimately acquainted with many of the Malfoy properties outside of England. And all the furniture. And the Malfoy heir. 

_Witch Weekly_ , let alone Rita Skeeter, would have a field day if they found out that the most eligible bachelor in Wizarding Britain was dating the Golden Girl after her short-lived relationship with Ronald. She and Draco had enough excitement following the war, and even two years later they didn’t need more attention. Hermione initially wasn’t sure how to tell her friends either.

But now as she slipped into Draco’s robe to scrounge up some tea, she was beginning to decide she was done hiding. Why not share their love with the world?

Soon, the tea leaves bled into her cup and she summoned her book on Celtic runes, attempting to find her place. Spinning back towards the sitting room, she jumped when a throat cleared. 

“Good Morning Miss Granger. It’s good to see you again dear.”

Hermione almost dropped her cup in shock at the Malfoy matriarch sitting in the wing-back chair that Draco normally occupied. 

“N-N-Narcissa, so nice to see you. Are, are you planning on a vacation this week?”

Draco’s mum, oh Godric his _mum_ , smiled and motioned for her to sit in the opposite chair. 

“Oh no, I much prefer Santorini if I want to go to the beach.” She paused, with a slightly predatory smile then continued, “But I found it odd when Lucius’ portrait came rushing into my room’s frame last month complaining about being witness to all sorts of _carnal depravities_ from the living room in Nice.”

Hermione blushed bright red, properly chastised. “Well, I assumed that Draco told you that he would be using the property...”

“He’s been a secretive child since he was young. But I noticed my lavender going missing from the garden, then the gardenia, then the roses. Finally, I just sent a house elf after him after Lucius' fit.”

“You’re not angry?” Hermione asked. 

Narcissa smirked, “Of course not. I’m thrilled.”

Hermione must have looked slightly surprised, because Narcissa actually laughed this time.

“I saw this coming. He’s had a crush on you since second year, Hermione. You’re all he talked about during summer holidays. You two make quite a pair, and I can tell you're happy. But since I think I’m owed my due diligence as a mother, you are familiar with the contraception charm, yes? And how do you feel about spring weddings?”


	6. Say It With Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Say It With Flowers  
> Rating: G  
> Word Count: 486  
> Warnings: No archive warnings apply
> 
> AUTHOR: [Art3misiA](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Art3misiA/pseuds/Art3misiA)

The first time he gave her gardenias, it had been a week into the new term at Hogwarts, where they had both recently taken up teaching positions - he as Potions professor, and she in Defense Against The Dark Arts. The blooms appeared on her desk, with a small card attached. On it was scrawled one word: _Hope._ She puzzled over the message, turning the card over in her hands. Later, in the Great Hall, Malfoy took a seat beside her and said quietly, “I hope we can be friends.” Realisation hit her at his words, and her stomach fluttered as she nodded her agreement.

The second time he gave her gardenias was on their first date. He collected her from her quarters, and presented her with a bunch of the fragrant flowers, which she took with a smile. As she placed them in water, she noticed a small card and plucked it out. It read, _Trust._ Returning to her door, she took his offered arm. “I trust you,” she told him. His grin lit up his whole face.

The third time was on their one-year anniversary. They enjoyed a candlelit dinner, and Draco insisted on purchasing the restaurant’s most expensive bottle of wine to mark the occasion. Hermione rolled her eyes playfully at his ostentatious display. After the meal, she reached for her handbag and when she looked up again, he had conjured the familiar blooms. Inside was another card, which read, _Beauty._ Underneath the card was a delicate engagement ring. Happy tears stained her cheeks as she said yes.

On their wedding day, she had the hair stylist weave gardenias through her long, curly locks, and carried a bouquet of the same. When Hermione met Draco at the altar, she withdrew a small card from the flowers and handed it to him before passing them to her bridesmaid. Draco read the single word written there, smiled, and tucked the card in his pocket. _“Clarity,”_ he whispered.

The morning after Scoripus was born, Hermione woke to his cries and winced as she struggled to sit up. Draco was there almost before she had opened her eyes properly, fussing around her like a mother hen. He fluffed her pillows, pressed potions and fresh water on her, then scooped the mewling infant from his bassinet, murmuring softly to him and planting featherlight kisses on his tiny head. Hermione turned to place her cup on the nightstand and noticed a fresh bouquet of gardenias sitting in a vase, a card propped against its base. She picked it up and read the inscription. This time, there was a note. _Dreams: You made them all come true. You were my secret love, once, and I thank the Gods you gave me a chance. With the birth of our son, my happiness is complete._

Hermione smiled and took Scorpius into her arms. Later, she would put the card with the others.


	7. Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Gone  
> Rating: T  
> Word Count: 498  
> Warnings/Tags: None
> 
> AUTHOR: [I_was_BOTWP](https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_was_BOTWP/pseuds/I_was_BOTWP)

Monday through Friday, Hermione worked as an Auror. Every weekend, with Harry’s help, she spent her time searching for Draco.

Three months ago, the morning after Theo’s funeral, Harry had called a meeting to announce Draco’s resignation from the Auror force, effective immediately. Before anyone could ask questions, Harry added he expected no gossip on the matter and dismissed everyone. A pointed stare in her direction was enough for Hermione to know she should linger.

“Look,” he’d started, taking off his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose, “I just want to say, I know you and Malfoy—”

“There’s more than you told everyone else, isn’t there?” Hermione demanded, heart in her throat. “What is it?”

Putting his glasses back on, Harry sighed. “Did you and Malfoy have something going on?”

“No!” Hermione rushed to deny.

“You were rubbish at hiding how much you liked being assigned with him. I could have sworn, with all of the bickering, and the _bloody banter_... I assumed,” he waved a negligent hand, “it was weird flirting, used as a cover.”

“Oh god.” Hermione buried her face in her hands, muffling her words. “Was it that obvious?”

“Wait! I was right?! You were,” Harry smirked and dropped his voice, “shagging Malfoy?”

“It wasn’t like that. I mean, yes, we were...” Hermione uncovered her face, but averted her eyes, “... _intimate_.”

Harry hid a laugh, _poorly_ , with a cough, leaving Hermione indignant.

“He told me he loved me! And I love him. We just weren’t ready yet to tell anyone about us.” Hermione’s voice broke; the tears she’d been holding back since Harry’s announcement finally fell. “Do you know anything else?” 

“No, sorry.” His smirk dropped, and became a grimace as he pulled her into a hug. From his robe, he produced a sheet of parchment. “Here’s his letter, see for yourself.”

Hermione wiped her eyes and scanned it, hope flaring that it would mention her. Unfortunately, the note offered nothing more than a cursory resignation.

“He obviously blamed himself for Theo’s death,” Harry said, “although no one else did.”

“You came to me, thinking I’d know more.” A lead weight filled Hermione’s stomach. “But I don’t. He closed himself off completely the past few days. I thought I was being supportive, giving him space.” She choked on a sob. “He didn’t even leave me a goodbye.”

Harry squeezed her tighter, rubbing her back soothingly. “I owled Narcissa; she claims she knows nothing regarding his whereabouts. I can’t officially open a case, but I have resources. Together, I know we can find him.”

After that, whatever leads Harry produced, she’d followed them. Many nights, she’d laid awake in a foreign bed, after yet another dead end, wondering why her love hadn’t been enough for Draco to stay. Or running scenarios through her mind where she didn’t press him to keep their relationship a secret. There was the constant, nagging fear that Draco had simply stopped loving her. She’d do anything to change that.


	8. Secrets Come in Sixes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: A Braver Man  
> Rating: K  
> Words: 395  
> Warnings: None
> 
> AUTHOR: [anne_ammons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anne_ammons/pseuds/anne_ammons)

The music begins. He’s counted the people between them. Four turns. That’s what it will take. He performs the steps as if on autopilot. His attention is not on his current partner. Hell, he barely likes Pansy, but she is who he was expected to take to the ball. And if nothing else, he does what his family expects of him, even as it crushes his soul. 

He consoles himself that it’s safer this way. Safer for _her_ , if their moments are stolen. If the depths of his desire remain hidden.

Just two now. He takes the hand of the girl before him, a Hufflepuff, he thinks. They each perform their steps before he passes her on to her next partner.

His heart begins to beat faster in anticipation and he wonders if there is anyone else who lives their lives for the clandestine moments that he does. 

And now, she is next to him. A vision in periwinkle. Her hair is pinned up and braided intricately with blossoms woven in. It’s stunning, although he prefers when she wears it down, wild and untamed. 

She’s close enough that he can smell the gardenias in her hair. Their heady fragrance fills the air as she spins and turns. The blossoms are delicate and beautiful, just like she is.

And then she’s in his arms. He looks at her and her eyes are bright. She gives him a small smile. Just enough to let him know that she is his as much as he is hers. That the blossoms in her hair speak to things only known to the two of them. For a moment, they can dance with each other and pretend that there is no coming storm. That there is no gulf between them. 

The moment ends as quickly as it begins. He doesn’t want to let her go. If he could, he would take her hand and run from this hall and never look back. But, she wouldn’t want that. She would never leave her friends, even for him. Instead, before he lets her go, he gives her hand a squeeze that he hopes conveys everything he wants it to, all the things he hasn’t dared to say out loud.

 _I wish it were different. I wish I could dance with you all night. I love you._

He wishes he were a braver man.


	9. The Posy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Posy  
> Rating: T  
> Word count: 499  
> Warning/Tags: co-workers to lovers; mutual pining
> 
> AUTHOR: [thelastlynx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelastlynx/pseuds/thelastlynx)

“We've got to stop doing this!” said Hermione, brushing off her jeans.

“And what exactly is ‘this’?” Draco stood and offered an arm.

Hermione glanced around, frowning. They were in the remains of an enormous gardenia bush which had been their hiding place up until a quarter of an hour ago. They were _supposed_ to be watching Mundungus Fletcher who was allegedly flogging hexed Muggle objects. The thing was, whenever Draco and Hermione spent an extended period of time alone, they always ended up… destroying the shrubbery. Hermione was at a total loss why that kept happening.

“Why does this keep happening?” she said out loud, plucking a white petal out of Draco's hair.

He watched her closely, his eyes a storm of swirling grey. “You tell me, Granger.”

Hermione froze. “Ugh,” she said finally, stomping off. Draco grinned and followed hot on her heels, but not before picking the single unblemished gardenia out of the bush they had just annihilated.

*

Less than a fortnight later, they found themselves, once again, hiding out in shrubbery. As fate would have it, another gardenia.

“Isn't this just lovely,” said Draco, sneering at the dirt staining his robes.

“Such a drama queen,” said Hermione, smiling fondly. “Hold on!” She squinted at something in the distance.

Draco edged closer, coming up behind her. “What is it?”

“Mind giving me some space?” His arm was brushing her chest.

“It's not as if there’s much room, is there?” said Draco roughly.

“How am I,” said Hermione, her cheeks a deep magenta, “supposed to concentrate if you keep groping me?”

“ _Groping you_?” Draco snorted, though a blush spread from his neck up to the tips of his ears. “I am not _groping_ you. _This_ would be _groping you_!” He brazenly put his wand hand on her front, raising an eyebrow. Hermione gasped, but then, lifting her chin in defiance, she put her own hand someplace else that had him _whimpering_.

The bush with its pretty white flowers did not survive the next fifteen minutes.

*

Five days later, Hermione and Draco found themselves in Harry Potter’s office.

“I must say, rarely have I been this disappointed.”

He frowned at the pair of them. Hermione’s hair was a single mess, twigs and leaves sticking out everywhere. Draco didn’t look any better. There were smudges of dirt all over his robes with a few blossoms decorating his shirt.

“Care to explain what’s gotten into you?”

Draco’s lips quivered and he looked to Hermione. Blushing, she studied her stained boots. “I’m sorry.”

“ _Sorry?_ ” Harry’s voice had become slightly shrill. “After months and months, that’s hardly enough anymore. I need an explanation. Please!”

Draco sighed heavily. Out of his robes, he fished a delicate posy. There were wild roses, lavender and forget-me-nots, and also two sprigs of gardenia.

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes widening, watching breathlessly.

“You want the honest answer, I take it?” he said hoarsely and, with great care, placed the bouquet onto Harry’s desk.


	10. A Bright and Fragrant Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: A Bright and Fragrant Hope  
> Rating: Mature  
> Word Count: 495  
> Warnings: None Apply
> 
> AUTHOR: [PartyLines](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PartyLines/pseuds/PartyLines)

Silenced by oppressive gloom, their chests heaved with desperate breaths in the engulfing cold of winter’s evening air. Green moss and flowers and years of grime helped keep out the draught, but nothing dulled the chill of ancient paving in Azkaban’s Interview Room One, and their teeth chattered as fingers knotted with lank hair and filthy nails scraped ownership into flesh.

“Fuck you,” he whispered through clenched teeth as he shoved her backward. “Fuck you, Granger. Let someone else take it—anyone else.” 

Dropping a steadying hand to the rickety table behind her, Hermione Granger, devout and lauded Wizengamot prosecutor, flinched as though he’d hurled something at her. “It’s Weasley. You know what—never mind. What’s your problem, Malfoy?” she demanded, straightening her wrinkled jacket and arranging a stack of papers to her right. “You know this is my job, it’s nothing person—”

“Nothing personal? Fuck me, Granger, if this isn’t personal, I don’t know what is!”

Twelve years into a twenty-five-year sentence for Death Eater crimes, Draco Malfoy had finally been granted the appeal he’d been waiting for. He’d owled her about it personally—using the only correspondence he was permitted for an entire month—and waited impatiently for her to come to him. She’d been championing the idea since they were just teenagers—he cowed in a holding cell and she reveling in the throws of rejoice and reform. 

Things changed over time, even things that should stay the same. 

She watched him shrink against the wall and caught a glimpse of the frightened boy of old in the unkempt beard against his face and the way his ragged robes dripped from prominent bones. His gaze was lethal, shrouded in red and ringed with exhausted black, and she felt a surge in her heart. 

“I’ve never turned down a case, Draco,” she said, entwining their fingers and ignoring his clenching jaw when her rings rubbed against his knuckle. “I’ve never turned down a case, and I’ve never—”

“Never lost a case, yes, I know.” He drew a deep breath and traced the outline of her jaw with calloused fingertips. “I know your career’s important to you, Granger—”

“Weasley,” she interrupted. “It’s Weasley, and you’re right. I’ve worked for years to bring justice to Wizarding England. And it doesn’t—it doesn’t matter what I think or how I feel or that I lo—that we have history! Don’t you see? It has to be me. I’ve never lost a case, but not even I’ll be able to keep you in Azkaban—it’s _not right_ —and then no one can—”

His lips met hers in a rush and she could taste his need in the blood and dirt on her tongue. The heat and familiarity and gut-wrenching heart in his kiss enchanted the space, her magical gardenias sprouting from weeds and momentarily filling the room with a bright and fragrant hope. 

“I love you too, Granger,” he muttered. “I hope like hell you’re not wrong.”


	11. This Will Be My Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: This Will Be My Last  
> Rating: General Audience  
> Word Count: 451  
> Warnings/Tags: Character Death, Tragedy
> 
> AUTHOR: [TwistedTurtle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwistedTurtle/pseuds/TwistedTurtle)

It shouldn’t be hard, I just have to get out of bed and shower, thought Hermione. The sheets were a tangled mess in her dim bedroom but a powerful ray of sunlight was sneaking past the curtains and shining brightly into the bleak eyes of Hermione Granger. She doesn’t understand why his death has affected her so much, so many others have died but this one stung the most. Maybe it was the wasted potential she mused, they would be opening the orphanage for muggle-born witches and wizards without him next week. Or maybe it was the violent nature of his death, some Death Eaters retained grudges even six years after the war.

Their friendship only came to fruition when they started working together a few years ago. Hermione thought back to all the effort they had put into starting the scholarship program for muggle-born students. It was many long nights, endless banter about charity events, work lunches, a lot of bickering, and … a lot of laughter. A tear rolled down her face, not even realizing that she had gotten so emotional in her reminiscing. It was something of a wake-up call though, she knew she couldn’t stay in this bed all day, not today. Her friends were expecting her for a brunch, it was her birthday and it is tradition. She showered and did the bare minimum to look human and flooed to the Burrow for brunch.

Her friends surprised her with an all-day affair, culminating in a party at the Three Broomsticks. There were even moments when she forgot her depression, but eventually, she has to return to her small flat in muggle London.

When she arrived the drapes of her kitchen window were swaying softly in the night breeze and on her kitchen table was a single white gardenia. She hadn’t figured out who harbored this secret love for her, but she had been receiving a single gardenia on her birthday ever since the war ended. Hermione had mused endlessly about who this could be in her more wistful moments even occasionally inserting her now deceased friend. Returning from her thoughts, she picked up the white gardenia and noticed that this time there was a card attached, which was a first. She delicately untied the card, opened it and read

 _My Love,  
This will be my last, may we meet again someday._

Her heart sunk, she knew that tight loopy writing. He didn’t have to sign it with his initials, but he did. Peacefully resting at the bottom of the card was _DLM_. 

The moonlight softly floated in the kitchen window as she sunk to the floor of her empty kitchen, letting the tears overwhelm her once more.


	12. Dreamy Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Dreamy Revelations  
> Word Count: 499  
> Rating: T/T+  
> Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
> 
> AUTHOR: [FaeOrabel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaeOrabel/pseuds/FaeOrabel)

“I don’t know why this potion is causing me so much trouble,” Hermione complained quietly in the library and threaded her fingers through her hair.

“It could be all the extra NEWTs you’re taking,” Luna said in an airy voice as she looked through the latest Quibbler. “You’re not even sleeping regularly, so coming up with a dream-related potion can’t be easy.”

“I know,” Hermione grumbled and rolled her eyes behind her hair. “You sound so much like Harry sometimes now.”

“What about gardenia?” Luna said suddenly and put her magazine down, finally looking at Hermione. 

“How is gardenia going to help me?” Hermione lifted her head and furrowed her eyebrows. 

“Well, this potion has to be strong in order to create a whole dreamscape. You said your teacher wanted something different from each person, and while all your other ingredients are great, they’re very by the book. Gardenia will make the potion potent and pinpointed on you.”

“Pinpointed on me? How?” 

“It will help you reveal a secret.” 

Hermione could’ve sworn she saw a smirk on Luna’s lips, but it was gone before she could blink. 

After Hermione had grabbed some gardenia petals from Greenhouse Six, she brewed her potion in her dorm and took a swig. The potion took on a white pearlescent hue from the added petals. 

When she finally fell into a deep sleep, she felt her body physically lift out of her. She looked around to realize she was not in her dorm, but the Astronomy Tower. 

“What…?” she trailed off when she saw that she wasn’t alone.

“Granger?” Malfoy asked. 

Why was _he_ in her dream?

“It’s after curfew,” she whispered lamely.

Malfoy shrugged, and Hermione diligently ignored the glisten on his cheeks. 

Since it’s just a dream, Hermione figured what the hell. She walked up to him and wiped away the tears, caressing his cheek. Malfoy looked slightly confused, but then leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. 

“Just don’t move, okay?” Hermione whispered. 

Moving closer, she tilted her head up and met his lips in a whisper of a touch. Malfoy apparently didn’t think that was enough, and they quickly melted into the floor in a pile of clothes and limbs. 

She bolted awake. Her dream had been rather… vivid, and she fanned herself from the lingering heat. She had no idea how _that_ had to do with secrets like Luna said. She sighed and recorded her — censored — findings in her assigned dream journal.

Walking into Potions the next day, she was greeted by someone pulling her into the seat next to them. 

“Malfoy?” She blushed deeply with thoughts of her dream.

“Good morning, _Hermione_ ,” Malfoy winked and leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips, much like she had done last night. “I quite enjoyed last night. But if you wanted to be my girlfriend all you had to do was ask,” he squeezed her hand before focusing on the lecture.  
And he never let go.


	13. Always Beside Me, To Hold Me And To Hide Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Always Beside Me, To Hold Me And To Hide Me  
> Word count: 499  
> Rating: Teen+  
> Warnings: None
> 
> AUTHOR: [fandomfairytales](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomfairytales/pseuds/fandomfairytales)

_“Think of it, a secret engagement…”_

Draco shifted uncomfortably, watching the scene on-stage unfold. He hadn’t expected date night to hit so close to home.

_“Look, your future bride, just think of it.”_

He did think of it. _All he could do was think of ‘it'_! He envied that poor sod, Raoul; at least in an hour, all would be resolved (unless you counted the sequel). 

Draco’s life was not that simple.

_**“But why is it secret? What have we to hide?”** _

The longer Hermione denied their relationship, the more Draco wondered if he was Raoul or Erik in this allegory. 

The Phantom, dragging her down into darkness felt extremely apt, especially when he compared himself to that ray of ginger sunshine, Weaselbee.

He had been a fool to assume their issues would resolve themselves eventually and was unwilling to disrespect her choice. Perhaps, her shame was neither misplaced or unjust.

 _“You promised me, no, Raoul, please don’t, they’ll see.”_

He knew a thing or two about oaths. He’d kept his word, but that didn’t mean it was what _he_ wanted. 

His love for her made the pain of her disavowal worth it. 

Still, he ambitiously applied his Slytherin cunning to openly flouting her rules. Every week he’d send bouquets overflowing with gardenias, leave obscene coded notes he knew would lead to his bed and numerous genuine attempts at fucking her so thoroughly she wouldn’t want to leave before morning… It never succeeded. 

_**“Well then let them see, its an engagement not a crime.”** _

She certainly treated him like it was. Excuse after excuse until he conceded. 

Frankly, he was desperate for people to know Hermione Granger was _his_. Jealousy had worn him down, months of secrecy became years and he stood by, watching scores of people fawn and drool over the woman he loved above all else.

Perhaps that was why he had picked not one, but two engagement rings. The first, an unmissable, glimmering, monstrosity

The second, intended to suit her tastes, was a permanent fixture in his pocket; awaiting the day she might accept and wear it proudly. 

_“…Masquerade, hide your face so the world will never find you…”_

She returned to her seat silently, curling into his side. He involuntarily melted against her; spiralling until, suddenly, he was shivering London’s brisk night air. 

“Did you enjoy it?” 

He nodded; knowing candour would lead to self-incrimination. 

“It’s funny, I always discover something new each time I see it. Tonight I realised if Christine had been honest, she could have prevented so much heartache-”

“-I feel like I’m losing you, It’s breaking my heart and yours; I know what you want to ask, naturally I’d say _yes_ , but you’d always wonder if I meant it; So…”

She paused and his heart dropped.

“Will you elope with me tonight? One last secret?” 

He beamed at her, knowing exactly how to reply despite his shock.

“Anywhere you go let me go too; Hermione, that’s all I ask of you.”


	14. Secretly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Secretly  
> Rating: M  
> Word Count: 499  
> Warnings: No warnings apply, implied sexual content
> 
> AUTHOR: [miss-eee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss-eee/pseuds/miss-eee)

Her laughter rained across the loud bar room and he turned slowly, leaning his back against the bartop, watching her from afar. 

Even in the dim light of the Leaky Cauldron, her beauty still radiated. Her thick curls had grown longer since their days at Hogwarts, now this beautiful controlled mess he just wanted to wrap his fingers in. At first glance, the black pencil skirt she wore seemed modest and sophisticated, but he imagined black lacy underthings hidden away underneath. 

Her eyes flitted up from the conversation she was in with Harry, sparkling honey with just a hint of mischievousness. He reached behind him for his tumbler of firewhiskey, raising the glass in her direction as a smirk spread across his face. 

He knew she despised days like today when all of the attention was on her. These were the days he most preferred to watch her from afar. She moved with grace and ease through the crowds, accepting the adoration and praise while silently cringing inside. Whether it was the Remembrance Day Gala, her birthday or like tonight, she managed to both exude beauty while silently shying away. 

Tonight’s celebration was for the youngest department head in Ministry history and he watched as she sank into a booth by herself after Harry had wandered off in search of Ginny. When Luna slid into the seat across from her, he knew she’d be just fine to handle herself for the remainder of the night. His time of secretly admiring her from afar was over, and after he’d placed the proper amount of galleons on the bar, he slipped quietly out the back door and apparated home. 

* * *

He couldn’t remember falling asleep, but he woke a few hours later surrounded by the smell of gardenias. He felt the weight of her body cradled next to him in his favorite reclining chair and he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

“Draco…” her voice was raspy in that way that it got after she’d had too many butterbeers, “come to bed…”

He could never deny her all of her wants and desires, 

Hours later, after he’d made sure she was fully aware of how proud of her he was, she collapsed across his chest, fully satiated. Her hair spread over them both like a blanket and he wrapped an arm around her as she snuggled in closer to his side. 

He’d spent years watching her from afar, loving her from a distance, until by some miracle of Merlin himself, she’d said yes when he asked her to lunch one day under the guise of needing her assistance with a case. 

That had been almost two years ago. Two years of meeting in secret. Two years of living in secret. Two years of loving in secret. 

Her body shifted beside him, he thought she’d already fallen asleep, but by the softness in her voice, she probably thought he was sleeping as well. 

“Draco. I don’t want to keep this a secret anymore.”


	15. Until then

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Until then  
> Rating: T  
> Word count: 499  
> Warnings: Major character death
> 
> AUTHOR: [FemmeBrulee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FemmeBrul%C3%A9e/pseuds/FemmeBrul%C3%A9e)

Once, when she was eighteen, she found a note slipped in among her lace lingerie. 

_Granger,_

_I dreamed of you last night. You looked so bloody ravishing in my silk sheets. Your mouth made the most perfect little ‘o’ when I touched you. Oh, right. That wasn’t a dream was it?_

_Meet me today after Potions. I’ll come up with something to get Pansy and the others off my back. I trust you’ll do the same with Potty and the Weasel. There’s a corridor on the fourth floor where you’ll find a tapestry hanging on the wall. The wall behind that tapestry may or may not have been charmed into a hidden alcove._

_See you there. Oh, and wear these._

_D_

***

Once, when she was thirty-four, she found his note hidden among her jewels.

_Darling,_

_I know you think I’ve forgotten about us. Let me prove to you that I haven’t._

_I won’t say that life got in the way, because you are my life, in all its contours and all its wonderful dips and curves._

_I told Scorpius that if he’s asleep by midnight, I’ll buy him that broomstick he’s always wanted. He looked sceptical but I think I convinced him. He’s getting very perceptive, that one. Rose, thankfully, is still at that tender, precious age where she actually listens to us._

_Anyway. Meet me in the garden at midnight._

_All my love,  
D_

***

Once, when she was seventy, she found his note nestled among her gardenias.

_To the most beautiful woman in the world,_

_There were once a hundred reasons for us to hide our love. Let’s not add ‘being a couple of old fogies’ to that list._

_I want to hold your hand as we walk side by side. I want to serenade you at our front door. I want to kiss you under the summer sun._

_I want to squeeze your arse every time it’s in front of me._

_What? You have a fantastic arse, darling. Always did._

_Point is, you look as lovely now as you did when we were young. And I count my lucky stars every day that I have you._

_I've made tea. Hurry back inside before it gets cold._

_Forever yours,  
D_

***

And when she was a hundred and eight, or maybe it was a hundred and nine (as if these things mattered anymore), she found his note hastily stowed in the pocket of his shirt.

_My Love,_

_It’s beautiful here. Not quite what I was expecting, but still beautiful. Potter’s here, as is Weasley. His twin brothers are wreaking havoc together just like they did at Hogwarts._

_We had a brilliant life together, didn't we? Tell Scorpius and Rosie and all our grandchildren I love them._

_Don't cry, but live on each day knowing I'm still with you._

_And when you're ready, come and meet me by the old tapestry. I want to make secrets all over this afterlife with you._

_Take your time, my love._

_Until then,  
D_


	16. When it's all over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: When it’s all over  
> Rating: G  
> Word Count: 467  
> Warnings/Tags:
> 
> AUTHOR: [NotAMuggleMiss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotAMuggleMiss/profile)

Draco Malfoy had begun to accept that he was going to die. As he stood in the nearly unbearable heat of the burning room, he tried to find comfort in the thought that she would live. He had seen her whisked to safety by the Ginger-who-didn’t-deserve-her. But who was he to judge, he certainly didn’t deserve her either. Somehow that hadn’t stopped her from loving him, once.

Then a flash of black hair offered him a hand and pulled him onto the back of a broom. The Boy-who-didn’t-ever-die flew like a madman through an obstacle course of fiendfyre. Draco held on as though his life depended on it, because it did. 

“I’m only doing this for her,” Potter growled through gritted teeth.

It meant at least one person was in on their secret, he thought to himself. And then he was dumped unceremoniously to the floor in the corridor as they came to an abrupt stop. He sat up and immediately retched the entire content of his stomach on the ground next to him. Leaning back against the wall, he patted his pockets, desperately looking for his mother’s wand. Before he could find it, the mess vanished and he looked up to see Hermione leaning on the stones opposite him, her wand pointed loosely in his direction. 

His mind helpfully supplied him with an image of the last time he’d seen her, bleeding out on his drawing-room floor. It was so vivid he could smell his mother’s potted gardenias, which he had spotted by the windows as he had listened to Hermione scream, feeling his soul shatter. He could still feel the gentle hand on his wrist, holding him back in the reckless instant he had tried to step forward with his wand clutched in his fist. 

Looking down, he gagged violently a few seconds more and blinked away the memory as best as he could. She would never forgive him. He hadn’t tried hard enough, he had let his fleeting moment of courage slip away. And yet, here she was, alive. No thanks to him, of course.

His eyes were suddenly drawn to where Hermione was getting up off the floor. Clear grey met warm brown and Draco’s heart went to his throat. She lifted her hand to her neck and clutched at something hanging beneath her shirt. Hope bloomed in his chest for the first time in months as he realised she was still wearing the locket he had gifted her, now many years ago.

“I have to go,” she whispered. “Find me, when it’s all over.”

Ideas flashed in his mind of all the plans they had made, contingencies, to save each other. No matter the outcome of the war. He nodded. 

The smallest of smiles graced her lips, then she turned and ran.


	17. Beautiful Little Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Beautiful Little Secret  
> Rating: T  
> Word Count: 498  
> Warnings/Tags: None
> 
> AUTHOR: [TheMourningMadam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMourningMadam/pseuds/TheMourningMadam)

Hermione huffed and muttered to herself as she stormed out of the back door of the Manor and out onto the veranda. Her hair was voluminous and her magic sparked at her fingertips as she slammed into a chair opposite Narcissa. The Malfoy matriarch raised one perfectly sculpted brow as she took a sip of her tea. “Something wrong, Miss Granger?”

Dropping her head back, Hermione crossed her arms. She felt every bit the petulant child as she pursed her lips and ground out, “Yes! He is bloody _awful!” ___

__Narcissa placed her teacup on the table and crossed her hands on one knee. “He’s strong-willed—”_ _

__“Strong-willed? He told me if I didn’t leave him be, he’d toss himself—in his wheelchair—down the stairs and accuse me of assault on a cripple!”_ _

__A faint smile tugged at the corners of Narcissa’s mouth. “Fine. I’ll concede. He’s stubborn and sharp-tongued. _Not _unlike his caretaker.”___ _

____“He’s—” Hermione grasped for a word, gesturing over her shoulder toward where his window would be, “He’s _vexing. _I’m trying to help him through his recovery so that he might rejoin society, but he’s more apt to sit in his room and mope about his disabilities.”___ _ _ _

______Narcissa, always prim and proper, straightened the fastening of her robes and plucked a nonexistent piece of lint from her sleeve. “Miss Granger, if you think you aren’t making a difference in Draco’s life, you certainly aren’t the _‘Brightest Witch of Her Age.’” _____ _ _ _ _

________“I’m not making any headway with him!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Placing her hands over her knee once more, Narcissa’s ruby red lips broke into a genuine smile. “Before you came, Hermione, Draco wouldn’t even get out of bed. He laid in the same position and stared at the wall, day in and day out. But now? Now he allows you to get him up in the mornings, bathe and tend to him. Just yesterday, you were pushing him around the gardens.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Hermione’s shoulders slumped as the tension eased. Glancing toward his balcony behind her, she found Draco sitting in the doorway, his eyes focused on her. Upon making eye contact, Draco turned his head, pretending to be preoccupied by a passing bird in flight. Hermione’s heart raced in her chest, dragonflies fluttering in her belly as he snuck a second glance in her direction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________When she pried her eyes away from him and returned to her conversation with his mother, she found Narcissa smirking knowingly. Heat seared through Hermione’s chest, blooming over her neck and into her cheeks as she averted her eyes. “I think you make him quite happy. And he does the same for you. You’re both just too stubborn to admit you secretly fancy each other.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Granger,” Draco’s deep voice called from above her. “I think I’d like to pick gardenias for Mother. Come help me get down the stairs.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The blush burned in Hermione’s cheeks as Narcissa smiled and stood to go inside, patting her shoulder as she walked past. “Best not to keep him waiting, dear.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	18. Charmed, I’m sure.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Charmed, I’m sure.  
> Rating: G  
> Word Count: 496  
> Warnings: N/A
> 
> AUTHOR: [NuclearNik](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NuclearNik/pseuds/NuclearNik)

The first note comes to her in the form of a swan, gracefully swooping through the air to land on the stack of hardbacks she’s gathered at her favorite table in the corner of the Ministry's research library. It’s delicate, made of silver paper that glints in the light from the torches on the wall, so reflective it nearly sparkles.

When she unfolds it, intrigue blooms within her. All that is written on the note is a reference number, and when she locates the book, she discovers it holds the information on blood wards that she's been trying to find for days.

Below the number in elegant script there is a simple set of initials.

_DM_

* * *

Weeks later, she is having coffee with Harry when a perfect replica of an Abraxan gallops onto their table. Its brilliant white mane contrasts so prettily with its tan coat, and Hermione cannot help the small, _"Ooh,"_ that escapes her.

It is the fourth note she's received in as many weeks. Each one is unique; some have a small gift included, others a bit of poetry by one of her favorite authors, or sometimes an interesting little factoid about magic that she finds fascinating and only just slightly annoying because he knows something she doesn’t.

She carefully tucks the winged horse inside her bag to read later, and when Harry asks who it's from, she waves him off.

"Just a friend."

When she gets home and takes it apart, there is a fine golden chain hidden inside. Pulling it out to closely examine the piece of jewelry, she is pleasantly surprised to find that it does not hold a pendant in the shape of a heart or flower or any number of things she would deem frivolous. 

Instead, the small charm attached is a simple depiction of the wand movement necessary to cast _Protego._

It's her favourite spell, one that brings her warmth and comfort through just the simple motions it requires. With the gift of this physical representation, it will rest close to her heart as she carries it with her.

Clasping the chain around her neck, she turns to examine it in the mirror as one question flits through her mind.

_How did he know?_

* * *

She is standing on the outskirts of a large ballroom, silently grumbling that she's been made to attend this silly Ministry function, when the seventh note she’s received comes swimming her way out of thin air.

The adorable otter nuzzles into her outstretched hand, and the corners of her mouth tug up in a grin she cannot disguise. It is incredibly detailed, its face so emotive despite its lack of sentience.

Glancing around to see if people are staring, she concludes that it must be invisible to anyone but her as there are no gawkers.

Fingers carefully unfurling the intricately folded creature, her heart starts to beat just a tad irregularly as she reads the simple words.

_Meet me in the east corridor._


	19. Unspoken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Unspoken  
> Rating: General Audiences  
> Word count: 496  
> Warning: major character death
> 
> AUTHOR: [Kyonomiko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyonomiko/pseuds/Kyonomiko)

The scent is always first. Something offensive drowned in sweetness, cloying and choking. She never speaks until he does first.

“I know you’re there.”

“Hello, Draco.”

The wizard looks up to find a ghostly apparition floating just beyond his desk. Hogwarts is quiet this time of year, summer heat suffused into the very stones of the walls. He spends most days alone. Except, of course, for the ghost of Hermione Granger. 

“Hello, Granger.” He lays the quill down beside his parchments, lesson plans for next year that have no reason to be rushed. “Care for a game?”

She grins and if the face of a dead woman can light, it does. “If you’re ready to lose,” she postures in turn, and Draco smiles, indulgent.

Hermione is rubbish at chess.

She loses, of course. Five games in a row. In the quiet following their last match, Draco sips tea and his opponent pouts, transparent arms folded over her chest. He’s struck, as he often is, by how young she is. Even as Draco approaches his 30th birthday, she is forever nineteen. Forever beautiful, though a stain of dark color mars her jumper and an angry gash appears to eternally bleed on her arm.

“Why do you stay?” he asks. He never has before, though the curiosity has been there. She looks at him in question.

“Oh, I apologize. Did you need to get back to work?”

Draco shakes his head. “No, I mean… Why haven’t you moved on? Across the veil?”

She blinks at him, face earnest and serene. “I stay for you.”

“For me?” He blinks right back, confusion settling into the furrow between his eyes. “Why on earth would you stay for me? Don’t misunderstand,” he adds quickly. “I quite enjoy it when you visit.” (It wouldn’t do to have an angry spirit haunt him after all.) “But it’s not as though I gave you any reason to care for me when you were alive.”

“And yet, here I remain,” she says, shrugging her thin shoulders. 

She leaves soon after, offering no more insight, and Draco falls back into his routine until she returns. She always returns eventually, and the years pass.

They pass until he has aged through his career and sits as head of Slytherin house. They pass as he realizes his days to sire an heir are behind him. They pass, and she is constant, playing chess and smiling at him, forever bleeding from her tattered arm. Forever beautiful, floating inches off the ground.

When his years end, when Draco thinks to rise in the morning only to look down and see his aged body left behind, she’s standing there, the ever-present scent of Gardenia surrounding her, and she offers him her hand.

“I was here for you,” she reminds him, and he finally understands: Affection unspoken that he has come to share. 

Sliding his hand into hers, she has form and warmth once again, and he follows her across the veil.


	20. Constellations on her Cheeks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Constellations on her Cheeks  
> Rating: T  
> Word Count: 497  
> Warnings:None
> 
> AUTHOR: [LumosLyra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LumosLyra/pseuds/LumosLyra)

The first time Draco sees her is when they are six. He peeks around a shelf in the musty bookshop and sees a head of curly hair overpowering the children’s book which obscures her face. 

She peeks up at him over the pages of the book and smiles, waving shyly with her chubby fingers. He waves back until his father settles a large hand on his shoulder and instructs him that it is time to leave. 

He won’t forget how the freckles on her cheek mirror his own constellation. 

\--

The second time Draco sees her is when they are eleven. She’s practically skipping through Diagon Alley, trailed by two terrified adults and a professor. 

When she comes into the shop to be fitted for her own robes, he catches sight of the constellation on her cheek and smiles. 

When she smiles back, thrusting out her own arms to be measured, his stomach does a funny flip and the back of his neck feels terribly warm. 

When his mother mutters something about muggleborns under her breath, Draco’s smile turns into a sneer. 

\--

For the next five years, Draco does whatever he can to push her away and out of his mind. Hermione Granger is obnoxious and insufferable and not even that pretty. At least, that’s what he tells himself when he catches his mind wandering to how soft her curls might feel or if her hair smells like gardenias.

He taunts her because she’s supposed to be an abomination. He calls her names to hide his feelings.

She slaps him and he might love her. 

Still, he forces himself to believe in everything his parents taught him. 

_Magic stealer. Dirty. Beneath you._

He wanks to the image of her at the Yule Ball because she’s beautiful and he is weak. 

\--

And then Voldemort moves into his house and his entire perspective changes. 

\--

She’s writhing and screaming on the floor of his drawing room and he feels like he might vomit. The constellation on her cheek is marred by her own blood and it unsettles him worse than the sound of her screams.

He’s never been so grateful for house-elves. 

\--

When Voldemort calls to him, he stands firm. He doesn’t cross the courtyard.

\--

The first two weeks of the term have passed in a blur and they are the only two returning eighth years left in the library. Draco has been watching her study for hours. 

She hasn’t noticed. 

He gathers every shred of courage he has and crosses the elbow with determination in his stride. She looks surprised but not angry when he apologizes and asks for a fresh start. 

When he holds his hand out, and says “Hi, I’m Draco,” he thinks he imagines the blush that comes over her cheeks as she puts her hand in his. 

It's everything he ever imagined.

“Hermione,” she says, and he blushes.

\--

At Yule, he peppers kisses across the constellation on her cheek and he knows he is in love.


	21. finding comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: finding comfort  
> Rating: M  
> Word Count: 498  
> Warnings/Tags: Major Character Death
> 
> AUTHOR: [Msmerlin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Msmerlin/pseuds/Msmerlin)

**17/3  
**Come and Go room. 8. Wear your skirt—you know the one I like.

~ D

 **17/3  
**Don't tell me what to do. I have rounds until 9.

~ H

 **17/3  
**That wasn't a no—I'll see you then.

~ D

* * *

**13/5  
**Granger, if you do not bring me my work, I will walk up to Gryffindor Tower—which I would like to point out, is counter intuitive to rest. Besides, I would enjoy your company. This place is dreadful.

~ D

 **13/5**  
Is that your way of saying you miss me?

~ H

 **13/5  
**I admit nothing. Just bring me my school work.

~ D

* * *

**27/7**  
They're looking for you. I cannot relay much, but be careful. Tell Scarhead and Weasel I will personally see their destruction if you are harmed.

~ D

 **28/7  
**I am safe. I hope you can say the same. Hope is hard to find right now, but we are managing. We've got a start on Dumbledore's task. My responses might slow and your owls might struggle to find me, but know I am well and that I miss you.

~ H

* * *

**19/9**  
Happy Birthday.

~ D

* * *

**20/10  
**This is me saying I miss you. The scent of your perfume no longer clings to my jumpers, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot replicate it.

~D

* * *

**25/12**  
Happy Christmas. I think of you constantly. You're my only light in this darkness.

~ D

* * *

**13/3**  
I love you. Don't say it back—don't make our separation harder. Just know I do. And know that I read every letter when your owls find me. Times are dark, but your words bring me comfort.

~ H

* * *

**28/4  
**Do you know what that did to me? Watching you suffer at the hands of that mad-woman, and I was powerless to do anything beyond watch. You promised me you'd be safe! You promised me you wouldn't get caught. Dammit Hermione! Please let me know you're okay. Please send any indication that I do not need to give up my post and run to find you. Please—Please.

~D

* * *

**1/5**  
A dragon?! I'm going to murder Scarhead and Weasel. I love you—stop acting so bloody reckless.

~ D

* * *

**2/5**  
Stay away from Hogwarts. Do not come and fight. Please listen. I cannot keep you safe.

~ D

* * *

**2/5**  
Where are you? We've done it! He's gone.

~ H

 **3/5  
**Draco?

~ H

 **3/5**  
Draco, please. Let me know you're alright.

~ H

 **3/5**  
Draco, say something.

~ H

* * *

**5/5  
**Miss Granger,

Your letters have been received—all fifteen of them. I assume that you've seen the news by now. Your relationship with my son has brought me comfort knowing he had hope during our darkest times. You're welcome to come to the manor and find a token to remember him by, though I fear you will find not much of value remains. Thank you for loving my son.

Regards,

Narcissa B. Malfoy


	22. The Last Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Last Time  
> Rating: M  
> Word Count: 429  
> Warnings: None
> 
> AUTHOR: [NotSoSirius92](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSoSirius92/pseuds/NotSoSirius92)

_June 1st, 1997_

In an alcove hidden on the 7th floor corridor, two bodies moved frantically against each other. Lips, tongues and teeth clashed in a fight for dominance. 

The crook of her neck smelled like gardenias, and he couldn’t help but smirk at how appropriate the scent was. 

“We have to stop doing this, Malfoy,” Hermione said breathily, a groan tearing through her as his ministrations drove her to the edge and back again. 

His fingers hiked her skirt up as her own clasped his hair greedily. The scent of flowers mixed pleasantly with the heady scent of her arousal. As he once again buried his face into her shoulder, he thought that maybe that smell could cleanse his internal wounds as well as the sinking feeling in his chest when he would inevitably part from her. 

“I can’t stop,” he confessed, and maybe it was the secrecy and forbidden nature of it all. The Death Eater Malfoy and Gryffindors’ Golden Girl secretly meeting in the throes of passion three times a week. Two unstoppable forces of nature colliding with heat and passion, and yet still the smell of gardenias calmed him, too. 

“I want you,” she said, staring into mercurial silver that seemed to pin her against the wall. She felt him fumble with the buckle to his trousers, and somehow when he sunk inside of her she knew it was right. She felt his magic brushing over her skin like the sweetest caress, sending tingles throughout her body. Hermione pulled his face to hers for a soul-searing kiss, trying to put into it all of the words she couldn’t say. 

“Need you,” Draco responded, filling her with his love the best way he knew how. 

When they were done, Hermione righted her robes before kissing him softly. 

“When this war is over, I will find you.” 

He nodded, “You have to stay safe, Hermione. Things are going to change soon… I have a mission, and just remember, even when you hate me that everything is not as it seems.” 

She was confused, but nodded anyways as he pleaded with her. 

“I love you.”

_June 30th, 1997_

Hermione sobbed as she looked at Dumbledore's broken body, after Harry had blurted the entire night's events to her. 

She cursed Malfoy along with him, but her heart wasn’t in it. 

“Remember, even when you hate me that everything is not as it seems.” 

She tried to hold on to that, but there was one unmistakable truth that resonated within her. 

War was not coming, it was here.


End file.
